Network for Public Education -- 1st National Conference - March 1 & 2, 2014 @NetworkPublicEd

Volume 1, Issue: #30  November 23, 2013 Inside NPE News Election 2013: The Results Victorious Sue Peters Thanks NPE Check out NPE News Briefs - a service from the Network for Public Education - for the latest headlines from journalists and bloggers around the country. You can even subscribe to our once-daily digest - delivered via email every day. NPE News Briefs NPE News Briefs PODCASTS This week, Julian Vasquez Heilig discusses charter school policies and practices Reign of Error,  the new book by Diane Ravitch is now available for purchase from major outlets. Find details here! The Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014 (the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The University of Texas at Austin. In the coming weeks, we will release more details. In the meantime, make your travel plans and click this link and submit your email address to receive updates about the NPE National Conference 2014. Information will also be available on Facebook, Twitter, and on the NPE website.   Click here to receive information about the NPE National Conference 2014  Sue Peters - Seattle School Board Director-Elect - Thanks NPE Members for Contributing to Her Victory Dear Diane and members and supporters of the Network for Public Education, Once again, I am pleased to extend my thanks to you and NPE for your invaluable support and endorsement of my grassroots candidacy for Seattle School Board. I am thrilled to announce that we won - convincingly! On Election night, we led by 51-48 percent, and that lead has only grown with every new vote tally. We are now approaching a 9-point margin, at 54-45 percent. That is nearly a 14,000-vote lead. Why Our Win Matters: This is a victory not only for my campaign, but for communities, families, and educators everywhere who are the key stakeholders in public education, but whose voices are not always heard in the national debate over education reform, or in our own local school district. This is also a victory for authentic, grassroots democracy. Seattle voters did not allow a small group of moneyed interests to buy this election. My opponent's campaign and political action committee (PAC) spent a record-breaking $240,000+, much of it on negative campaigning, most of it bankrolled by a small group of wealthy proponents of corporate ed reform and charter schools. The PAC attacked my candidacy four times throughout the campaign with progressively more mendacious and offensive mailers. The attacks focused almost entirely on defending the Gates Foundation, in a bizarre and unsuccessful attempt to discredit me, and completely ignored the important issues facing our school district like overcrowding, inequity of resources among our schools, excessive testing and low teacher morale. This amount of money and such tactics are unprecedented not only in Seattle but Washington State for a school board race. Thankfully, voters were not fooled by the distortions and diversions. I am proud of my authentic, fiscally responsible, volunteer-driven campaign, which remained focused on the issues and maintained its integrity. I am also grateful to everyone who helped us counter the barrage of misinformation, and to those of you who promoted my candidacy personally. I want to particularly thank Dr. Diane Ravitch, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and national education historian, who recognized that my campaign represented a national battle over the integrity and future of public education. Her support gave important legitimacy to our campaign and to my efforts over the years to engage on education issues, as both a journalist and parent. I believe my near decade of experience with the Seattle Public School District resonated with voters, as well as my clear commitment to keeping the public in public education. Thank you again. Sincerely, Sue Peters Parent, journalist, public education advocate, and Seattle School Board Director-Elect Please forward this newsletter far and wide!  In solidarity, The Network For Public Education

Join Walmart workers on Black Friday #occupy #occupywallstreet #ows

This Black Friday Join the Walmart Strikers on the Front Lines! Walmart workers are mobilizing to take action on Black Friday in your area and they need you to support them directly, in the streets. Even Ashton Kutcher gets it. Can you join them and attend a direct action training? Companies throughout the world have followed Walmart’s example, creating low-pay, low-security jobs. We have all seen our friends, family and neighbors struggle as they are forced to take jobs they know can’t cover their bills. We’re all paying the price for the Walmart economy. But there is hope for change. All around the country, Walmart workers are standing up. They have gone on strike in Dallas, Cincinatti, and Southern California to protest Walmart’s attempts to silence them by firing and disciplining those who stand up for their coworkers’ rights. They’re tired of looking their children in the eyes and having to explain why there’s no food in the cabinets while they work for one of the most profitable companies in the world.  Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, they’ll be holding protests to call  on Walmart pay a real wage of $25,000/yr for fulltime work and to end the retaliation against those who speak out. Workers in YOUR CITY are planning to act. Making Change at Walmart is holding a quick course in how you can support them and mobilize for action. Can you attend a protest training this week to learn how you can get more involved? If you’re interested in supporting Walmart workers as they let companies know that Walmart-style jobs aren’t good enough for our country, RSVP and get more information. On OccupyWallSt.org: Show Your Solidarity While Supporting the #WalmartStrikers #BlackFriday Practical Protest Techniques: Using Your Body and a Few Simple Tools

2013 The Occupy Solidarity Network, Inc. Thank you for signing up on http://occupywallst.org Our mailing address is: The Occupy Solidarity Network, Inc. 1133 Broadway, Suite 1215 New York, NY 10010 Add us to your address book

To help @RebelDiaz send people to protest SOA "School of the Americas" (a/k/a School for Torture)

On Sunday, November 17, the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective (RDACBX) is having a fundraiser for The South Bronx Delegation to The SOA Vigil.

The Rebel Diaz Arts Collective (RDACBX) Presents:

The SOA ShutDown!!!
Sunday Nov. 17th from 4-7pm

$5-$10 Sliding scale donations!!!
Performing Live!
Vithym
Deebo
and
Los Leones..
Hosted by Rebel Diaz..
DJ Charlie Hustle on the 1s and 2s....

BMHCLab: 1303 Louis Nine Blvd
2/5 train to Freeman
BX 19 bus to Freeman and Southern Blvd.....

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Join thousands of torture survivors, migrants, artists, students, nuns, unionists, veterans, and social movement activists from across the Americas at the gates of the School of the Americas (SOA; also known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, WHINSEC), where we reaffirm our resistance and our creativity in the face of Empire. The November Vigil is not just a protest, but also a place where we come together as a community to mourn, resist, strategize, debate, learn, celebrate, and heal. The vigil weekend includes concerts, theater performances, film screenings, as well as workshops and caucuses.

P.S. For information on how to get to Columbus, Georgia, visit http://soaw.org/november/info/how-to-get-to-columbus/

"Avrom Sutzkever: Legendary Poet and Hero of the Vilna Ghetto" Sun 11/3, 3 PM #NYC

Join Nikolai Borodulin for his presentation on  Avrom Sutzkever: Legendary Poet and Hero of the Vilna Ghetto  Sunday, November 3rd at 3PM Workmen's Circle, 247 West 37th Street, 5th Floor, New York City No reservations necessary -- all are welcome   Avrom Sutzkever  Avrom Sutzkever (July 15, 1913 - January 20, 2010) was an acclaimed Yiddish poet. This multimedia presentation by Nikolai Borodulin will give an account of his astounding life with samples of his breath-taking poetry. The New York Times wrote that Sutzkever was "the greatest poet of the Holocaust."

******************** Proudly progressive since 1900, today's Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring engages Jewish families in lifelong education, cultural celebration and progressive activism.  Join us at www.circle.org